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dreamcatcheresss · 2 months

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My interpretation of Buddha’s character in Record of Ragnarok

We don’t know what the real Buddha was like, but we have a certain idea: kind, compassionate, intelligent, generous, resolute, open, endlessly loving and he abandoned hatred, jealousy, lust, pride, greed, violence and ignorance. In my opinion Buddha in Record of Ragnarok isn’t so different from how we imagine the historical Buddha to be. Let me explain, but keep in mind that it’s just my own interpretation of this fictional character.

I want to talk about the most shocking things: hatred against the gods, violence and malicious joy over their suffering.

Does he really hate them and enjoys their suffering like we could understand the meaning of these words he says himself? No! It’s easy to get that idea, when you just look at him without any sense of interpretation. The base for this character is the real Buddha and sure, the creators have made him their own character in a way. But if we look closely, the real Buddha constantly shines through. It’s all about interpretation – really.

It looks like he hates the gods and is happy about their suffering. He says that. Why? Because that’s what they believe in… and what they want to believe in. It’s not his task to change other’s opinion about him. He leaves it all to them. It’s more like he is giving them a lesson without giving a lesson. Your thoughts create your reality – that’s what the real Buddha said. It’s not Buddha’s style to teach someone, who doesn’t want to learn. But this way he can make a statement. Basically he chooses to mirror their behavior to show how pointless it is and he can still be himself doing so.

The gods are basically like humans, but they behave like they are better beings and have the right to be cruel – a typical human behavior. They are too proud to admit their weakness and to learn – also very human. They have the chance to change and be better, but they choose being unhappy and arrogant and harm themselves and others – VERY HUMAN! And still they thing they are better. Of course, you can’t teach them. Buddha knows that. Maybe he can talk like from soul to soul with a human or demigod, but not with the prideful gods. THIS must be very entertaining to him. The great gods are just poor creatures and they don’t want to see it.

The interesting thing is Buddha’s behavior towards them, the way he looks at them, the way he talks to them. He is always calm, confident, peaceful, but also mocking and no one is allowed to push him around. He shows openly his disapproval for their behavior, not for them as beings in the first place. He doesn’t make a difference between creatures AND THIS IS WHAT THE GODS INTERPRET AS DISRESPECT AND HATRED TOWARDS THEM. They feel attacked and hurt in their pride that his former human MADE HIMSELF A GOD, COMES TO HEAVEN LIKE IT’S HIS PLACE AND DOESN’T CARE ABOUT AUTHORITY.

The gods say: “He has to respect for us as higher beings and he teaches humans that they don’t need gods… He hates us so we hate him, too. We’ll humble him!”

Buddha says: “You know what I’m teaching and you choose to interpret it this way. Fine. Your thought will become your reality. You know where you can find me, when you actually want to learn. You have no power over me.”

So the Gods are the ones being humbled. That must hurt.

But look at Buddha! Where is the hatred? It doesn’t come from him. It’s just his disapproval and going a personal and peaceful way in front of triggered creatures. His eyes aren’t burning with hatred and his speech isn’t toxic and hateful. This “malicious joy” over the gods’ suffering isn’t malicious or hateful. It’s more like enjoying the fact that someone is getting a lesson and still doesn’t get it. Like watching a fly hitting the window trying to get out, but the fly is calling itself a god. Of course, the gods want to see the hatred in it, but Buddha’s actions just say: “You still don’t get it.” He’s still calm, understanding, observing and lovingly neutral with a huge dose of mocking and teasing humor (if you get what I mean).

The same with violence – there is no hatred in it. The only point it that you can call it very controversial for someone like Buddha, but all the violence is a reflection of the attacking person. When words don’t work, dodging isn’t enough and he wants to protect himself or others, he must defend himself. That’s what he does. His intention is to make clear that it’s no use to try this on him. Killing is not the intention, but… if there is no other way, he is ready to do it to protect. That’s what we see in his fight. Buddha says that he is ready to kill any god who will get in his way, but it doesn’t mean that he wants to do it when there’s another way. It’s not the result of hatred. It’s the result of a limitless love towards ALL.

Even the awakening hatred or anger in him during the fight isn’t a toxic one. He takes, understands and overcomes it and this makes him even stronger. It becomes a tool. Here is nothing left of hatred after the fight. Maybe it’s not even there anymore during his win.

Our Buddha doesn’t force anyone into his heart, but he also doesn’t close it. He leaves it open to everyone who wants to come in. It doesn’t matter who you are and what you have done. You are just a soul like everyone else in the first place, even as a god or demon – you are welcome to come in. Just look at his body language and listen to him. He isn’t only relaxed, he is OPEN. The gods are not excluded, but they want to be. It’s much easier than overcome pride and prejudge.

Maybe you can interpret it this way, if you have an idea about the real Buddha and his wisdom and lessons. Even though this character is a fictional creation, you can’t deny that the essence of the real Buddha is very visible, if you just look closer. The authors change everything more or less or interpret differently, but they still capture what’s important and special. I don’t think that we should ignore the real Buddha, if we want to understand Buddha in Record of Ragnarok – especially when a character has so much space for interpretation and such a strong, meaningful and beautiful base (the real Buddha). It’s important to see all the little parts separately and also everything as s whole – his words, not mine.

By the way, not only the gods think that Buddha hates them… The same misunderstanding was with Adam. He didn’t fight because he hated the gods. It was out of love for his children, for humanity. Others simply thought it was out of hatred and learned the truth later.

Anyway, it’s very refreshing to see a cheeky and mocking Buddha, who enjoys candy, has a great style, makes fun of the gods and treats everything with humor and love. I’m also sure that it wasn’t needed to trick him into helping humanity. He’d do it himself. Not because he hates the gods, but because he loves all beings and humanity needs protection. A great chance to humble the gods more and more. This is also love. Love isn’t always about being soft and sweet. Sometimes you must be strict and hard.

#record of ragnarok #shuumatsu no valkyrie #record of ragnarok buddha #buddha record of ragnarok #shuumatsu no valkyrie buddha #buddha shuumatsu no valkyrie #ror buddha #buddha ror #snv buddha #buddha snv #record of ragnarok theory #shuumatsu no valkyrie theory #loki record of ragnarok interpretation #shuumatsu no valkyrie interpretation

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recreationalfanfics · 1 year

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Hi! How are you? Can I request Buddha, Thor, Poseidon headcanons where reader loves to play the guitar or piano and their singing voice is angelic? :)

I KNOW YOU ASKED FOR POSEIDON AND I APOLOGIZE, but I am kinda getting sick of writing for him lol but REGARDLESS, I STILL HOPE YOU ENJOY THESE AND I'M SORRY THEY TOOK SO LONG-

Buddha:

- Buddha loves having you play for him while he naps and chills. Like, he's napping under his tree and you're singing and strumming and he subtly opens one of his eyes to look at you.

- BECAUSE LET'S BE HONEST, HE IS WHIPPED and he just smiles at how peaceful and gorgeous you look as you play so elegantly or as you sing so heavenly. It highkey makes his heart flutter when you do it for him ngl.

- Culturally, from what I've read so feel free to correct me, buddhist monks are only limited to playing only certain instruments so he's also very curious about your guitar since he never has heard anything like it and so he will ask you a lot of questions and hopefully he doesn't annoy you with them.

- He does like the piano too, just, the way you sit so elegantly as you play and the melodies that you play absolutely just leave him hypnotized. Like, he's staring at you with the most adoring and admiring look ever.

- NO, BECAUSE IF YOU WRITE HIM A LOVE SONG OR TRY TO SERENADE HIM, HE WILL FOLD IMMEDIATELY. THAT WOULD LITERALLY MAKE HIM JUST SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY AND YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO WIPE OFF THE SMILE HE HAS ON HIS FACE FOR W E E K S.

Thor:

- Tbh, Thor may not look like he enjoys or cares about you playing but TRUST ME WHEN I TELL YOU THAT HE DOES, HE REALLY DOES. Like he can be on the other side of heaven and the moment you pluck the strings on your guitar or press a key on your piano, he is right there next to you ready to hear you play.

- Wants to try it out but he's worried that he'll break your instruments, after all. But, like if you decide to put your hands on his and guide them, he'd genuinely enjoy that because as helpful as it is, he loves any affection that you give him.

- Has you play at different Asgardian functions, if someone scoffs at you and your music because you're a human or for some other reason, Thor will wait until your done before turning around and punching them in the face. He'd hate to distract your amazing performance after all♡

- NO BUT WHEN HE'S HEALING FROM HIS FIGHT, PLEASE STAY AT HIS SIDE AND SING FOR HIM. He claims that hearing your voice makes the pain go away or hurt just a little less because, well, your voice is simply divine and it makes him happy.

- IF YOU WROTE A LOVE SONG OR MADE HIM A SONG ON GUITAR OR PIANO, HE'D BE A BIT OF A FLUSTERED MESS. He knows that he isn't the most expressive lover and he worries that you'll lose interest in him because of his stoicism so if you do, HE WILL LITERALLY SMILE AND SHYLY BRUSH A STAND OF HAIR FROM HIS HEAD BUT STILL WATCH YOU CAREFULLY WITH THE KINDEST AND MOST LOVING GAZE HE CAN MUSTER.

#record of ragnarok x reader #record of ragnarok #ror x reader #shuumatsu no valkyrie x reader #snv x reader #ror buddha x reader #snv buddha x reader #buddha x reader #ror thor x reader #snv thor x reader #Thor ror #thor snv

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deathmetalunicorn1 · 11 months

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Can you please do scarlet witch reader the the wielder of the dark hold ( a book of infinite knowledge), the harbinger of chaos and the vessel of cthon ( a primordial god ) Possessing an ability that can warp reality to its whims and a sorceress

I wanna see all the gods reactions to her, it's okay if you don't want to. I respect that.

-You were a human, that much they knew, but you were far more powerful than any other human, and while they didn’t want to admit it, you were more powerful than the gods in Valhalla.

-Your abilities to warp reality could affect anyone and anything, not even the gods were safe, but it was far more dangerous than many realized, as you could do it at will.

-At any given moment you seemed to grow more and more powerful, wielding the Dark Hold, being a harbinger of chaos with your own abilities and magic, and being the vessel of a primordial god, Cthon, you were not to be trifled with and definitely not to be underestimated.

-However, despite the healthy fear the gods had for you, they also respected you, not all, but many of the stronger ones, who hold power over Valhalla, as you could easily wipe them out with just a blink of your eye, you could destroy everything, the heavens, the underworld, and earth, but you didn’t.

-For the most part, you kept to yourself, living quietly in a calm corner of the Norse pantheon, living in a beautiful house surrounded by your garden, vegetables and flowers, growing whatever you wanted.

-You hated being treated like a freak, a mutant is what they called you on earth, being stared at and judged for something you had no control over, you didn’t chose to become a mutant, it was the fate you were given.

-In Valhalla you were able to live freely, without fear, as many knew about you and what you could do, but since you would rather keep to yourself rather than interacting with others and causing trouble, those who did know you didn’t mind.

-You had made friends with several children who came to investigate the witch who lived just outside a large forest, but you weren’t scary or ugly at all!

-You were super pretty and nice to them, sharing your vegetables and telling them stories, fairy tales that you knew, and giving them soft smiles. You were quiet, but not mean or cruel at all!

-The few gods who treated you with respect were some of the most powerful in Valhalla, and they were the ones you got along with for the most part, because of this respect, but you could sense their fear, their caution, for good reason.

-Knowing what you could do, they did what they could to keep you happy, but were surprised while learning how to keep you happy, that they became fond of you, befriending you.

-And as time went on, they learned you weren’t as scary as they thought you were.

-Treats you with respect, but also as a friend, brings drinks and enjoys sharing them with treats you’ve prepared, talking and gossiping about random things, spending time together. Will defend you from others who don’t know the real you, who only think you’re an evil and powerful witch.

-Zeus, Aphrodite, Shiva (and his wives), and Zerofuku

-Respects you and your strength, respects that you are a normally calm person when you could easily take over everything. Is fiercely protective of you, not because he doesn’t want you to get upset, but because you’re his friend and as your friend, he demands respect for you.

-Odin, Beelzebub, Poseidon, Hades, Hermes, and Thor

-Doesn’t find you scary at all, he’s taken the time to get to know you and knows that you aren’t a scary and cruel witch that everyone tries to make you out to be. Can make you smile easily and is always down for spending time with you. You can come home at any given time and find him on your couch, welcoming you home like he lived there, but you didn’t mind. You found him comforting to be around, even when he does eat all of your food.

-Hercules, Buddha, and Loki

#record of ragnarok #ror x reader #ror zeus #ror aphrodite #ror shiva #ror zerofuku #ror odin #ror beelzebub #ror poseidon #ror hades #ror hermes #ror thor #ror heracles #ror buddha #ror loki

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praisethesuuun · 1 year

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this is my first time writing for him so pls be kind with me ////also, english is not my first language so I'm sorry for any mistakes

Buddha x poet!reader: sweet as lollipop

Type: fluff

Warnings: swearing

“And then I punched him in the face!”

“That’s wonderful, Lord Zeus” said Y/N sitting on one of the sofas of the room. They were sitting there for hours now, but the god wanted the job done by the end of the day. Listening to him non-stop was one of the hardest things in the world, especially if he never stopped praising himself. ‘Did he even do all those things? Probably not’ thought Y/N completely exhausted. They breathed a sigh of relief when Zeus realized what time it was, kicking them out of the room and leaving him alone in the middle of the hallway.

“Narcissist bitch, what the hell do I do now?”

Well, there wasn’t usually so much fun for gods like them: art and poetry were appreciated, but everyone always preferred the strongest deities like Hercules, Zeus or Poseidon. And now Y/N was on Olympus only to write about all the “beautiful adventures” the others made, but for what? Money? A god doesn’t need it. Fame? A lot of people already worshipped them. So why…why were they suffering so much? Exactly, for nothing.

Sometimes Y/N asked themeselves why couldn’t they leave and do whatever they wanted, but everytime they realized why; everyone on Olympus has a place, a part to play, and theirs was to be there and tell the true story of the gods. Only this way would humans have spread the truth.

But, of course, their job had his perks. Like that time Y/N decided to inspire their poets to tell the story of how Ares ended up trapped in a giant vase and how he managed to stay there for days. Needless to say that everyone was laughing their ass off on Olympus when they found out; or the time Y/N and Hermes spread the rumor of Aphrodite's presumed death. She was so angry!

Walking through Valhalla they stopped in the middle of one of the many fields of flowers. Y/N breathed a sigh of relief even though their tranquility didn't last long.

“There you are!” said a voice from behind them.

“What are you doing here, Buddha?”

Y/N hated that damn god. Buddha was always trying to get on their nerves, constantly criticizing them about how they’re not able to go against Zeus and get a life. The diety of poetry growled before answering: “If you’re here to tell me how shitty I am maybe you should go somewhere else”

Buddha laughed. “Wasn’t expecting such low language for you”

Internally he was really hoping to change something in Y/N’s existance: soon there would be Ragnarok and humans would need a guide, a foretaste of the end of humanity, a refuge in art. But Zeus kept Y/N in check and wanted to avoid giving any kind of help to humans, "for fun" he said, even if it was only cruelty.

“Why don’t you do something?” he said. “There you go. Please, I’m just tired and I don’t need another one of Socrate’s like speech…damn, that guy is even worst than you…”

“Just think about it, you’re not like Zeus, you're kinder”

“I’m a god, I’m made of stone”

“You can’t be: you’re a poet” and having said this, Buddha sat down beside them. He started sucking on his lollipop, his eyes lazily watched the colorful field. His head slowly bent to one side, getting close to Y/N's ear, his voice now a whisper: “Help us go against the Heavens”

Y/N's heartbeat stopped completely and their hands started to sweat. Betrayal. Were they even able to backstab everyone? Of course they were. All the days spent writing other people's bullshit, silly minors gods’ poems, hand cramps... Buddha was offering them a chance. The poet had to think carefully: Brunhilde and Buddha were already on humanity's side, it is impossible for the other gods to do like them, so they’re on their own. But even if they accepted, what would they actually change? They are only a deity of poetry after all.

Buddha stood up, rousing them from their thoughts. "Well, if you want to join the club of assholes, give me a ring, but decide quickly. You know very well that there's no more time"

He’s right. So why not give him the answer. “I’m in”

“What? Really?”

“You heard me. Let’s go destroy the whole Olympus”

“That’s the spirit!” screamed the other god picking them up and squeezing them as hard as he could, after all, this may be his only opportunity to do so. He was scared that he had made a mistake and that he might push the other away with that sudden gesture of his, but he relaxed when he felt the grip being reciprocated. Y/N was about to get a shot of life, that thing that they never really fully got.

The poet felt so strange: nobody even dared to touch them or didn't even cared. Everyone looked at their works, not the artist: that gesture so sincere made them feel like jelly and, for the first time after literal eons, they felt at peace. The god's hands encircled their sides, while one of them caressed their back. What they were doing was dangerous, too dangerous, and Buddha began to wonder if he had made the right decision to ask the other to join his rebellion. But he knew it has to be done.

“We’re gonna make it. I promise” thought Buddha with the other still in his arms.

Time seemed to stop for a few moments, the two of them existed and that's it. Y/N was considering their choice again, yet Buddha's encouraging squeeze erased all thought from them. Fate smiled at them and they did the same.

#record of ragnarok #record of ragnarok buddha #record of ragnarok headcanons #ror buddha #buddha x reader #buddha x you #ror imagines #ror x reader #ror x you #snv x reader #snv buddha #snv x you #snv x y/n

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six-earedshadowmonkey · 9 months

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Warning: Pain Incoming

You all are going to hate me for this pic, but it was burning in my brain and I needed to get it out. This is a picture and a ficlet depicting Macaque’s death. Posting under a break because of gore. If you don't want to see blood, look away. You have been warned. (Click Keep Reading to see the complete image.)

Eternity

The fight had been long and hard. Monkey King was exhausted. He and this imposter had battled across three realms in their determination to prove their identity. Of course, they both knew who was the REAL Sun Wukong, but who this stranger impersonating him was, even he had no clue.

None born of Heaven nor Earth could tell them apart, and the resident kings of the underworld dared not speak the imposter's name.

The Great Sage was sick of these games by the time they reached the home of Buddha. He was tired, angry - no, FURIOUS! He wanted answers and he wanted them now! And he knew of only one other person who could give them to him!

Still - Standing before Buddha with his visual double, nothing could have prepared him for the name spoken when his opponent's identity was revealed.

The Six-Eared Macaque.

The same Macaque who had been his friend and confidant. The same Macaque who had fought alongside him in the Brotherhood. And yes, the same Macaque who had left him to the Jade Emperor's mercy when they failed to fell him, only to later rub salt in the wound by offering him a goddamned PEACH! As if that somehow made up for five hundred years of imprisonment! Too little, too late.

And after all that, here was that same. Fucking. Macaque. Harming his family, stealing their things and daring to do it all while PRETENDING TO BE HIM!!!

It was too much. Seeing those golden eyes staring back at him when the glamour was dropped was just too much. And something snapped in Wukong.

Macaque knew he was in for it. He'd never quite seen a look like that on his King’s face before. Maybe he had gone too far this time. He had only wanted Wukong to see that his 'Great Companions' weren't so great after all. He had wanted to save him from the pain, both physical and emotional, that those bastards were putting him through.

He didn’t know where the power came from - righteous indignation, maybe? - but before Macaque could blink, the Monkey King's staff had struck him with a force unlike any he'd ever had the bad fortune to be on the receiving end of.

The impact crushed his right eye and split his brow, but he barely even registered these things. How could he when he was flying like some over-powered missle through, not one - Not two. Not three, or four, or five - but SIX mountains! If that fifth one had been the last, he just might have lived to tell the tale. However, that final impact was just too much.

Colliding with the hard stone hard enough to shatter it, he slid to the ground and lay still. His vision was so blurry, he might as well have lost both eyes, but he knew it was Wukong he felt land beside him a moment later. He'd know that scent anywhere. He wasn't surprised at all that the other celestial monkey had come to gloat. What did surprise him, though, was the smell of salt mixing with his usual pungent odor.

Macaque couldn’t see Wukong’s tears, but he knew they were there. He didn’t hear his choked words as the Sage whispered, "No... Shit. I didn’t mean to...", but he felt it when he was lifted into his arms. As he drew his last breath, he let it go with a soft smile and a sigh of relief. His Peaches was holding him at last.

Rapid little twitches, like electric pulses - death throes Wukong knew - were all the movement left in Macaque’s otherwise still form, but the Monkey King still desperately pleaded, "Hey... Macaque! C'mon, Bud... Look at me!"

In that moment, he made the mistake of glancing at Macaque’s eyes, and felt a flood of revulsion overcome him at the sight. The right one was like a bloody crushed grape, the left bruised and swollen so only a thin slit of it could be seen. "What have I done..?" he lamented, voice shaking as it sunk in that Macaque was truly gone. "We were supposed to live together forever... We were supposed to eat... peaches... every day... forever." Wukong doubled over, holding his former lover tight to his chest, and let himself sob.

All that effort to make himself immortal, and now he'd have to live for eternity without the one person he wanted to spend it with.

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the-monkey-ruler · 1 year

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How do you feel about LMK making it so that the Jade Emperor defeated and passed heavenly judgment over Sun Wukong in Xiyouji?

To be completely honest, it's what made me flip my lid, especially when *spoilers*

They killed the jade emperor??? Not only did they remove Buddha's play in SWK's punishment and made it so that he was simply too weak instead of he was too arrogant, but also killed such an important character in Chinese media that shouldn't be so easily killed? I don't think we were ever meant to root for the jade emperor, but watching that go down had me like

The scene didn't even have some big fight. The Jade Emperor just said a couple words, took it like a champ and died which undermines his actual importance? Maybe it's the shock that's making me so upset over the questionable choices that the LMK producers made, but I feel like not even the little quips or actually decent animation can cover up.

I understand that this isn't supposed to be a direct copy and paste from JTTW, but to stray so far from the og story and still try to claim representation? I'm really curious about your opinion on it, no hate if it's different I actually want to know and hear you talk about it

I will say... underwhelming...

Like this is probs the first time I've seen a Xiyouji media that has written off Buddha completely like... it just brings up why? Did Flying Bark just really want their next villain to be so strong and powerful that he defeated the one entity that Wukong couldn't? Like??? Did they really try to brush off the religious aspects of Xiyouji where it is about FOUR MONKS (and a dragon) going to the west for BUDDIST SCRIPTURES?? While also meeting Daoist gods so??? Already you can't escape religion buddy... it's in there!

The point of Wukong being taken down by Buddha is to show that he has gone too far. He DEFEATED the Jade Emperor! He was about to kill him and take the throne before Buddha stepped in. Wukong is supposed to be the strongest and could destroy heaven with power alone and that is why he had to be stopped because powerful alone shouldn't dictate who is in charge.

And it just draws more questions considering that Xiaotian even said in one episode that Wukong DID pick a fight with Buddha but a chip was shoved in his mouth so... backtracking??? Rewriting?? What is going on?

This isn't the first media I've seen where Heaven/Jade Emperor is the bad guy, though in most cases he is just a guy doing his job cause SOMEONE keeps destroying the peach gardens, but I wish there was more nuanced with this. A lot of past iterations make it that Wukong is a freedom fighter trying to overturn heaven and those could be really good! Shows that Wukong is sticking up for the people of Earth and hates that the people of Heaven are walking all over that. He demands justice in an injustice world and has the power to make them be heard.

But it looks like Flying Bark was trying to go for that angle but also... it is kinda falling flat considering that they have already shown heavenly deities on the side of their heroes and so far no antagonist demons have been in the "right." Like they can't just backtrack and say "wait heaven bad guy?" If they are trying to make it that both Heaven and Earth have areas of moral grey then killing off the head of the Heavens with a "But wait there's more" is a very... clumsy way of depicting that.

I know Flying Bark did it for the sake of "Drama" but really feels more like a cope out just not to depict Buddha in a lego form or something inane like that.

I've kinda emotionally checked out of LMK for my own sake and while I still watch it and want it to have a satisfying ending I can't really say I'm on the edge of my seat for it either. It just feels like they are always trying to hype up more than they can deliver and I rather just be met with a simple 'that was fine' than get my hopes up in more disappointment.

#answered #oof sad #pretty disappointed but like not surprised vibes #just wanna get through the season and see how they are supposed to 'fix' this #Maybe they will bring him back?#idk #ask

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sketching-shark · 10 months

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Is it just me, but mk being the “chaos incarnate” frels out of place???

Like of all characters he gets to called that? Seriously?!

Like not even sun wukong the og anomaly in the entire existence of all celestial bodies combined who caused chaos in his wake before mk existence—and doesnt get that title??

It feels so much like lore Olympus except without the weird things that it has.

I feel so guilty but so much of the writer decision makes me hate mk existence especially w portrayal of his powers.(i was the same anon that went off about the portrayal of cultivation in lmk)

So many ppl stated it was there in the beginning but i just thought he was going to be the third celestial monkey not another stone monkey. I just dont think it was a good decision to have mk specifically be a stone monkey considering the questionability of swk involvement.

Plus it make mk be the “chosen one” status that take away who he was at the beginning. Im starting to think we should have not gotten a s4 bc of the headache it gives me.

Monkie Kid spoilers and general complaining below, so remember that "don't like don't read" goes both ways & feel free to skip.

Hmmm yeah I can see where you're coming from anon, although for me it goes a bit deeper in that I'm feeling pretty peeved that Flying Bark seems to be more and more leaning into the "uwu stupid chaos monkey" characterization for Sun Wukong. Like yeah yeah I know people balk at the mention of Journey to the West when it comes to Monkie Kid, and on a certain level I understand the changes since this is after all a cartoon for children, but one of the things that I love about og classic Sun Wukong that a lot of retellings including Monkie Kid just flat-out won't work with is the way that a lot--perhaps even the majority--of his acts of violence are very deliberate and even done for understandable reasons. Even the havoc in heaven, which seems to be the thing many people point to as an example of the Monkey King's chaotic nature, comes right after he spent almost fifty days roasting in the Eight Trigram Furnace and for him soon after being captured by a heaven that he refused to go to war with until the deities were literally breaking down his door and saying unless he surrendered for ruining one(1) festival and stealing immortality-granting treats then they were going to slaughter his entire family. So you can definitely see why, especially given Sun Wukong's awareness of his own power, he'd decide his conflict with heaven would only end, that he'd finally get respect from everyone and his family would finally be safe from everything, if he deposed the Jade Emperor and made himself the ruler of heaven. Obviously this backfires catastrophically thanks to the Buddha, but you can definitely see how this is less a case of Sun Wukong doing things because he's a chaotic monkey who loves to break stuff for shits and giggles and more because he's a ruthless warlord who cares about a select few & lives in a world where many others in positions of power act like ruthless warlords as well. It can't be forgotten, after all, that even the beloved Tang emperor is also specifically said to be someone who had countless people killed while he was forging his empire!

But going then to the massive rewrite of Xiyouji inherent in Monkie Kid, the whole "chaos!" thing just feels like yet another way for Sun Wukong & it seems MK by extension to be handed a massive L in terms of what their stories are. Like Flying Bark radically changed the havoc in heaven from SWK raging through the heavenly palace as part of a (gasp!) understandable wartime power struggle to him just stealing a bunch of stuff for himself before him & his former bros attack heaven, rather than heaven attacking them, which Macaque told him not to do but he did anyway because he was just that much of a uwu chaos monkey/thoughtless a-hole. And while I actually do like the idea of the stone SWK came from regenerating and creating even more stone monkeys, the way things have been set up it does seem to be working as another example of how Flying Bark keeps making SWK worse to make MK better in comparison, as well as likely lying the grounds for a massive confrontation between the two because yeah with his truth-seeing eyes how tf did SWK NOT know that MK was someone like him. As is, you can add that to the ever-growing pile of questions that FB refuses to answer, such as what exactly happened to the og pilgrims, why did SWK & the Demon Bull King have their battle, what happened between SWK and LEMH, why are LEMH & the Demon Bull King suddenly okay with SWK when he's the guy who they pretty clearly thought ruined their lives, how did MK go this long thinking he was just some guy instead of an ultra-powerful and destructive stone monkey, why did SWK exile himself for so long, why did the Monkey King even take on a tudi in the first place, if he did know MK was a stone monkey why didn't he say anything, etc. etc. etc. And yeah yeah I know the nature of storytelling is that information isn't revealed all the way at once, but it's been 4 entire seasons of just piling on the questions with the added bonus of everyone screaming about how much SWK sucks & is going to destroy everything (& the plot going out of it's way to prove that sentiment somewhat correct lol) so that now it feels a lot more like mystery mongering than revealing information in good time. Honestly it does put MK in this pretty sucky position too of both getting brutalized and traumatized over and over again specifically because of his connection to SWK, but also being used as this cudgel in the story to further beat in what a cringefail loser SWK is. Which is another thing that sucks, because MK is at his core a genuinely delightful and good-hearted protagonist. idk, kind of feels like he was meant to be the main character in a light-hearted show about doing your best & going on sillytime adventures with the Monkey King and is now forced to be the protagonist in an increasingly grimdark show where he routinely has to deal with the potential end of the entire world all while getting screamed at for inevitably being just as destructive as his terrible mentor :(

#anon answered #monkey critical

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moondrop39-dovewing70 · 1 year

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Incorrect Quotes of My OC's Part Four

Ruby: So to make family night a bit safer, everyone list down the worst trauma they ever had. Go!

Twister: I nearly died five times throughout my book series and only died once.

Akia: Well I got kidnapped by an overpowered maniac who almost destroyed three dimensions, destroyed the Christian God and Devil, almost defeated Buddha (which could have happened if the Christian god didn't step in), and almost destroyed my whole entire blood line which has given me nightmares. Only to try and force me to marry him.

Midnight: I watched my mother died to save me from the Negative Powers, becoming an artifact because I wasn't strong enough to fight him off just yet. I made a deal with the Negative Powers and became trapped in my own body and soul, becoming the Ace.

Ace: I have memories of being both Negative Powers and Midnight, trapped and tortured for eons. I also was brought back to serve the Negative Powers, almost killed my first friend and future-girlfriend, and watched as she died protecting the people she loved the most from him. Twice.

Ruby: Okay, now that we have that trauma out of the way-

Dove: *takes deep breath*

Ruby: Oh shi-!

Dove: I was brought to a dimension of my own creation through over two decades of mental and verbal abuse. I was bullied and almost died over six times. Because of that, I "somehow" created the Negative Powers who I later found out was not created by me. I am actually related to the Negative Powers, as he calls me his soul daughter, because I am the bonding of my sister, who died in the womb, after he killed her and his mate Satera, which gave me her memories. I have been tasked to defeat said powerful being who has technically killed me twice. I watched my friends suffered because of me and while I was dealing with this, I was also dealing with being a mortal. I was never immortal until my Satera Powers activated after my first death. I almost destroyed Christian heaven and hell in that universe and feel that everyone should hate me but instead love me. I still deal with that trauma.

Everyone: .....

Dove: *breathless as frick* What?

Everyone: *jumps and gives Dove's cuddles*

Dove: ljaoljflkjealjifjil *drowning sounds from cuddles*

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Starring: Dove, Twister, Ace, Midnight, Akia, and Ruby (who was trying to be Therapist)

Also don't worry, the Dove Angst will come in several comics. I finally got my pen and can actually start drawing out scenes. I already have a couple done.

Also @lopsushi their will be some more fan-art that will be coming especially with a small comic about said topic above. (Yán Hào is going to do some comforting for Dove because my girl needs it!!! Their won't be a ton of gore and such.....Don't want to scare people.)

Thanks for waiting and I can't wait to start showing FLYING ANIMATION BECAUSE YOUR BOI HERE FINALLY GOT MOTIVATION AND TIME TO DO THAT!!!

Thanks so much for waiting for me to update....BYE!!!!

#Destiny Legend of the Protectors #Angst #Funny #OC humor #incorrect quotes #humor #I need to give Dove a break from angst #Dove needs a hug #Yán Hào comfort coming soon!!!!

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spiritsoulandbody · 5 months

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#DailyDevotion The Father, Son and Holy Spirit Alone Are God Who Give Us Every Good

Psalm 115 Not Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy and faithfulness. 2Why should other nations say, “Where is their God?” 3Our God is in heaven and does anything He wants to do. The psalmist and those who join him humble themselves before the LORD. They do not seek their own glory and the glory of their name. They ask the LORD to give His name glory. The LORD's name deserves glory because of His mercy and faithfulness. Indeed, that is part of the name and glory the LORD reveals to Moses when His glory passes by and His name is declared in Ex. 34:6 and Moses is hidden in the cleft of a rock. We too should realize, believe and confess the LORD, especially as He has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ, is a God of mercy, kindness, steadfast love and forgiveness. The people of the world see Him only as a punishing, wrathful God, and indeed, because of their impenitence and stiffneckedness in their sins, that is the side, the strange and alien side of God that they see. They don't see His mercy and kindness because they want to continue living in rebellion against Him and His ways. But for those who confess their sins, turn to Him in Christ Jesus for mercy, kindness, forgiveness and steadfast love, these aspects of the LORD are given them without measure. People then and people now cry out, “Where is their God?” They speak in ignorance. Sometimes they speak in rebellion because He does act as they would act and have Him act. We know the truth. Our God is in heaven and does anything He wants to do. This may cause us some fear and apprehension. I can understand why. But our God is not capricious. He acts according to His revealed will towards us. Mercy and kindness are given to those who love and fear Him: wrath and punishment to those who hate and are in dread of Him. 4Their idols are silver and gold made by human hands. 5They have a mouth but can't talk, eyes but can't see, 6ears but can't hear, a nose but can't smell, 7hands but can't feel, feet but can't walk. They can't make a sound with their throats. 8Those who make them are like them, and so are all who trust them. While there are physical idols in many cultures of the world today, we do not see them as much in the western world being used as such, i.e. a figure of Buddha or an ancestor. In the west, our idols may not necessarily be made of gold, silver, rock or wood. Our idols today are just as much false gods as the idols of the people of the Bible. We look to them to provide us with every good. (Note—Some westerners have adopted the idols of their pagan ancestors today.) Our idols, this list is only illustrative, are our nation, our armies, wealth, happiness, work, marriage, husband, wife, children, political parties, credit cards, shopping, food, sex, drugs, alcohol, church, pastors, self-help gurus, and etc.. Many of these are like the idols of old. They have eyes and can't see, mouths and can't talk, etc. as the psalmist describes them. What is for certain, they cannot give us every good as the LORD our God can do and wants to do. Some of our gods, our idols, are good in and of themselves. They are the good things the LORD our God provides for us. We are not to seek them to provide us the good in and of themselves. We look to God, our Father, through our LORD Jesus Christ to provide us these good things. If we treat these things as gods, we will become like them, mere objects that serve these things. James says, “Every good gift comes from the Father of lights.” Let us then look to Him alone for all good things and give thanks for all the good things He provides us. Merciful God and Father, give us Your Holy Spirit, that we look to You alone for all good things and not to created things, so we may give Your name all praise, honor and glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen Read the full article

#Christ #Christianity #devotion #faith #idols #Jesus #LCMS #Lutheran #Messiah #Prayer

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kanotototori · 3 years

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Father and the Near Shore

@milimaaa says:

“Obviously [the above page] is a parallel between Yukine and Father, but this specific speech bubbel got me thinking a bit extra. We know Father hates heaven for what happened in his past but until now it seemed like he resented people (near shore) mainly because of them continuing worshiping the gods no matter what, but the near shore may have played a bigger, more active role in what made Father the man he is today…”

I definitely agree with this! I wanted to share a little excerpt from the (scrapped) Part 2 of the Father meta since... that version is not going to see light outside of my drafts for a while, might as well be put to use.

Thoughts below the cut. ↓

As far as what we know with more or less certainty, there's only the fact that Father is “outside” the realms of both humans and divinity - as @echodrops said, he is the “quintessential stray”: abandoned by the Heavens, rejecting humanity.

The view the Japanese have regarding religion (if you can even call the practice that pervaded the spiritual beliefs of pre-modern Japan “religion” in the Western understanding of the word…) has changed significantly within the last 100~ years, the degree of its integration with daily life is no longer the same as it used to be. However, before Japan began Westernizing in the latter half of the 19th century, Shinto-Buddhist beliefs and practices saturated every single aspect of society. As Herbet Plutschow puts it in “Matsuri: The Festivals of Japan”:

“In ancient Japan, religious practice pervaded the daily activities of the people down to the minutest details. The Japanese ‘did’ religion because they lived religion. Particularly in pre-modern Japan, it is difficult to separate the sacred from the profane, because the sacred dominated and guided their daily lives and activities, including professional skills.”

To believe what Father believes is to literally separate himself from not only his immediate community but society as a whole; the fact that he is so “other” from everyone else is already obvious, when he holds people in so much contempt for enabling the destructive behaviors of gods. When we see him in the flashbacks, he is perpetually the only adult around, living in the woods near the capital of Heian. But that begged some questions: Did he have no one besides Pockmarks? No parents, no friends, no mentors or acquaintances? Did he choose to go into self-imposed hermitry? Or perhaps… was he othered by his immediate community as well, as Yukine had been, shunned and isolated?

This is a bit more on the tinfoil hat side of things but hear me out. In Chapter 80-2, Father tells Yukine:

“I came back to life by chance. I was called everything from a god to a Buddha to a monster…”

The manga very strongly implies that Father physically died and went to Yomi (i.e: “People can come back to life?”, implying that death had to take place first), instead of just walking into there like Yato had done. So we have someone who came back to life, which must have been a huge spectacle, considering the fact that people were calling Father “a god”, “a Buddha”, and/or “a monster.”

By the sounds of it, the way Father was perceived by the people around him drastically changed; he was either put on a pedestal as a god or a Buddha, or derided as a monster - clearly with enough fear and/or respect in the aftermath for people to honor him as a goryo, if Ebisu is to be believed. No matter which way you slice it, this would have put Father into the category of “other” by his immediate community: an isolating experience, to be no longer regarded as human but as a divinity or something worse.

Whichever situation may be the case, it’s clear that when grief came knocking, Father didn’t have the support he needed to come out in a constructive way - if his extreme views on solutions to Heaven's corruption are any indication. Similarly to Bishamon, he might have taken to bed and wept for ages and the grief eventually gave way to hatred - to a desire for revenge against those who had wronged him. It's the same destructive desire for revenge that Bishamon and Yukine share(d) - the cycle of violence only continues when the characters of Noragami allow their anger to lead them. But this anger stems from an incredibly human place of loss and grief - the experience of the protagonists (who are, by the virtue of being protagonists, more sympathetic and understandable to the readers) are the vantage point from which we are set up to understand (and maybe even sympathize with) what led Father to become the person he did and see that it is the exact same thing that drives everyone else in the series: love, and the need to belong and connect.

We see the pain and the long-lasting effects that Yukine’s father’s abuse, abandonment by his sister and mother, and the subsequent abandonment by his community had on him; if this relationship is the one-on-one model of the way Father perceives the larger relationship between Heaven and humanity - especially in the way that he experienced it - then Father must also be affected by its long term effects.

#noragami #my meta #fujisaki kouto

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linkspooky · 4 years

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The Monkey King vs the Budha

Gojou and Toji are rivals and complete opposites in everything, even in the mythological stories that both of their characters reference. Toji referencing Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) and Gojou representing the Budha himself. I’ll be going over the mythological references in their characters under the cut.

1. Journey to the West

The journey to the west is one of china’s four great classical novels. It’s an ancient allegory for enlightenment. Though not the main character, the first seven chapters are dedicated to Sun Wukong, the monkey king, a trickster type character who made it his mission to disrupt the order of heaven. There’s a very long and simplified summary of the legend, here.

There are several in story references to the legend. Toji refers to himself as a monkey for not being able to use Jujutsushiki. Toji, much like Sun Wukong is an exile from the heavenly order. In this setting, the analog for heavenly order or the keepers of the peace is Shaman Society as a whole and the four great noble families system.

Toji is the strongest possible a human can get without using Jujutsu Sorcery. If Getou refers to all humans who aren’t sorcerers as monkeys, that makes Toji symbolically king of the monkeys. Son Wukong possessed an immortal body. Toji is brought back from the dead because the special quality of his body won out against the soul when it was transformed.

Toji also ends up using a bo staff to fight that extends or compresses based on whether or not the four pieces connected by chains are together. Sun Wukong’s most famous and iconic weapon was a staff that could change size.

The staff itself is called ‘playful cloud’, Sun Wukong is also famous for flying on top of a cloud.

Gojou is symbolically the Budha for a separate reason, first he’s a character who revolves around the idea of attaining personal enlightenment. He quotes the Budha himself.

In Chinese and especially Japanese Buddhism, the statement 天上天下唯我独尊 (Japanese tenjou tenge yui ga dokuson; not sure about the Chinese transliteration), which is typically translated as "On heaven and earth, I alone am honored", is considered to be a well-known statement of the Buddha, spoken when the Buddha first emerged from his mother's womb. The quote is sometimes truncated to just the latter half 唯我独尊 "I alone am honored".

This is specifically a statement that the budha first said when he emerged from his mother’s womb. Gojou is someone shown to be special from the moment he was born.

In Journey to the West as a result of attaining enlightenment, the budha is one with everything. Gojo’s special ability is seeing everything, into the void because of his six eyes. His territorial expansion is essentially forcing that enlightenment on others, look at the line Jogo uses when caught up in it “I can see everything, I can feel everything!” that’s enlightenment, babeyyy!!!

In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong fought against the Jade Palace and the Emperor of Heaven, until eventually the Budha was called to settle things with him.

The Budha made a wager with Sun Wukong. If he could successfully jump out of the palm of his hand then he could become the new king of heaven. Sun Wukong jumps off of his hand and makes it all the way to the edge of the universe. He sees five pillars at the end of the universe. He fights grafittis the pillar and then jumps back to the Budha. The budha reveals his hand and shows the same grafitti, as a result of attaining enlightenment the budha is one with everything in the universe therefore no matter where Sun Wukong went he would always be in the palm of his hand. The budha then defeated Sun Wukong and sealed him under a mountain.

Gojou and Toji fight for similar reasons. Toji could have made his escape but he wants to fight Gojo over his pride to prove that he’s the strongest. Gojo as a result of nearly dying against Toji in their first round, has attained enlightenment and because of that Toji can’t possibly win against him.

2. Opposites Attract

Gojou and Toji are opposites always meant to oppose one another. Toji eventually became a rogue mercenary who took great pleasure in killing sorcerers to prove his family wrong about him. Gojou is someone who holds basically the entire Jujutsu World on his back and wants to raise other sorcerers to be as strong, or stronger than him. Gojou is the one groomed to be superior from childhood, Toji was made to feel inferior. Gojou uses his power selflessly, almost always making himself a tool for the sake of others. Toji is someone who acted selfishly, for the sake of money, pride, eschewing other people’s values for his own twisted ones.

However, they both have a unique understanding of one another. Toji says the first and last time anyone was aware of his presence was when he visited Gojo as a child. Gojo is defined by how untouchable he is, the last person to even put a scratch on him was Toji.

There’s actually a lot about Toji and Gojou that is similar making them poised to understand each other. Toji is also a one of a kind genius, specifically because he was born with a body that eradicates curse energy. Toji was always powerful, he was just mocked and belittled because he didn’t fit into the mold of Jujutsu society.

They’re just geniuses, it’s just that Gojo was born to fit the mold of the ideal jujutsu sorcerer, from a family, carrying the technique of his main family, and Toji breaks that same mold.

Gojo and Toji are also two people who didn’t have to be on bad terms. Their conflict represents the families they were born into. The Gojo and the Zen’in have always been on bad terms as revealed to us recently. They’re both individuals shaped by the households they were born into, and they also carry the conflict between those two households on their shoulders.

Gojo and Toji are characters who value their strength above everything else. However, Toji lives trying to deny his pride and destroy it because he hates everything the Jujutsu world values.

Toji’s referred to as the “one who threw everything away”. It’s revealed in his extras that after Megumi’s mother died, he tried to stop caring about everything which is why he distanced himself from his son.

Toji is the extreme result of Gojou’s rampant individualism, in a different way than Sukuna is. Toji is strong, but his strength never really matters. He failed to protect Megumi’s mother. He was going to sell Megumi to the clan. He only ends up all alone because of his decision to value strength above all else and throw everything away.

Gojo is also someone who despite being the strongest, fails to protect others. He wasn’t able to save Geto from his breakdown. He failed to save Rika before that. For both characters even though they believe the only good thing about themselves is their strength, strength is not everything to them.

Megumi is the connecting knot that ties between them.

Toji, who is eternally bitter about other jujutsu sorcers being born with what he didn’t have, named his son blessings. Toji who tried his best to stop caring about anybody besides himself...

Can’t ever deny the part of himself that loves his son. Even his attempt to sell him to the Zen’in household while grossly misguided and irresponsible, was also out of a wish that growing up in that household would be better than what a jaded and disaffected deadbeat of a dad Toji was could give him all alone after Megumi’s mother died.

Toji is genuinely happy when he learns that Megumi has had a better life than he had. Which once again ties back to Gojo. Gojo and Toji are characters who live mostly for themselves, but the best parts about them are what they give to other people. Toji’s most redeeming quality was his affection for his son, and his genuine wish for Megumi to have a blessed, better life than he did. Gojo went out of his way to protect Megumi from the Zen’in family. They’re both opposite in so many ways, but Megumi is their connecting thread. Both, Gojo and Toji want to give him a better world, and a better life than the one they grew up in.

#zenin toji #fushigoro toji #megumi fushigoro #gojo staoru #gojou satoru #jjk meta #jujutsu kaisen meta #gojou family #zenin family

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arashikitten · 3 years

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Of Molten Gold and Frozen Silver- Part one

This is a collection of the first three chapters for my fic, “Of Molten Gold and Frozen Silver”, as celebration for me finally getting an ao3 account! Thank you to everyone who has read this fic, chapter 4 is coming along! Without further ado, here’s Of Molten Gold and Frozen Silver part 1.

When Qi Xiaotian had gone to Flower Fruit Mountain that morning, he’d gone expecting either brutal sparring, grueling physical labor, or, if Sun Wukong was feeling particularly lazy, an hour or so of meditation.

He had not been expecting to find Sun Wukong hunched over in pain, gripping his head and snarling like a wild animal. He also hadn’t expected to see a familiar bluish-white smoke slowly circling the Monkey king, accompanied by the very worrying sound of small, whispering voices that seemed to fill up the cave. Qi Xiaotian felt ice settle into his veins. He recognized this, he’d seen this before, just a week prior.

Baigujing. The White Bone spirit.

He should’ve run. The moment he’d seen the white smoke, he should’ve booked it to the hills, rushed back to the city to sound the alarm for everyone, to save as many people as possible from the oncoming rampage.

But… he couldn’t. Sun Wukong, his mentor, his idol, was in trouble. He needed help, and Qi Xiaotian would be damned if he didn’t at least try to do something. Slowly, carefully, he reached out toward the shaking Monkey King.

“Sun Wukong? Hey, um, are… are you-“

“Run.” Qi Xiaotian froze, the air leaving his lungs as terror flooded his veins like ice. Wukong’s voice was raspy, tight with pain, and each syllable trembled in the musty air of the cave. This thing- this demon, it was hurting his mentor, and Xiaotian felt his heart wrench at the notion. He needed to help.

“Wukong-“

“Xiaotian, you need to run. I can’t… I can’t hold Baigujing back for much longer. It’s way...way stronger than before, I won’t last long. I thought, thought that I could handle it, but…” the monkey king gasped as his knees gave out, sending him to the hard stone floor. Qi Xiaotian rushed forward, even as Wukong began to growl like a rabid animal, tail lashing back and forth like an irate cat. He reached forward, almost touching Sun Wukong, when-

“STAY BACK!” A pale gold force rippled out from the monkey king’s form, sending Xiaotian flying back. He winced as he slowly began to push himself up, a twinge of pain in his side confirming the presence of a quickly-forming bruise. He looked up at his mentor, questions on his tongue-

When he finally saw Sun Wukong’s face. And every muscle, every nerve ending, went cold as terror crashed full-force into him like a tsunami, sending him plunging into the waves, too disoriented to know which way was up even as he was drowning in fear.

Dark, empty shadows obscured to top half of Wukong’s face, leaving Xiaotian unable to see the familiar golden glow of his eyes. The bottom half of his face, the part Xiaotian could see, was pale and washed out, appearing a dusky gray-purple like that of a corpse. His mouth was twisted in an ugly snarl, sharp teeth glinting in the dim light of the cave. But that wasn’t what scared Qi Xiaotian.

No, the thing that scared Qi Xiaotian was the singular, glowing blue eye that pierced through the shadows of the Monkey King’s face, pale smoke leaking from the outer corner like tears. And, despite the cruel snarl and the tense, aggravated posture…

That eye was shining with fear. Sun Wukong… was scared.

Sun Wukong. Who had fought countless demons. Sun Wukong, who had thwarted death countless times, becoming immortal four times over in the process. Sun Wukong, who had gone up against the entire Court of Heaven, and was only stopped by the Buddha himself. Sun Wukong, who was strong enough to lift an entire mountain with ease.

Sun Wukong, who had saved his life…

Was afraid. Was terrified of whatever was trying to take over his body, trying to trap him in his own mind. His mentor, his powerful, wise, unflappable mentor was scared, and Xiaotian could only watch in horror as he began to succumb to the demon.

“Kid… listen… to me. You… you need to- to run. Go- go and warn the others. Please, before… before it’s too late.” Gods, Wukong sounded so desperate, so terrified, and it made Xiaotian’s heart crack in his chest. His throat felt tight as he held back a sob, praying to whoever was listening to please, please put a stop to this, please don’t let this be happening.

“Sun Wukong, please, no…” it came out a whisper, trembling with unshed emotion.

“Kid… run. Please. I don’t… I don’t want to- to hurt you. Not when… not when you’ve done… so much for- for me. Please. Run.” Qi Xiaotian gasped softly as he saw tears slowly trail down the Monkey King’s face, even as he could see the traces of his mentor began to leave that one blue eye…

And suddenly Wukong’s face relaxed, a small fond smile taking it’s place over the snarl, that glowing blue eye filling with affection and kindness and love-

Xiaotian’s breath stuttered as he stepped back. His eyes burned with tears that he refused to let fall, trembling hands covering his mouth as he began to sob. Wukong cared about him, cared about him not just as his successor, but his-

Xiaotian turned and ran as fast as he could, eyes screwed shut against the pain and wind as he finally let his tears fall.

Sun Wukong watched him go, smile filling with relief. And even as the White Bone spirit finally won, even as pain flooded every nerve ending, even as his heart started to shatter…

He knew his kid was safe.

————————————————————————

Sun Wukong was falling. He had been for a while now, the pitch dark that surrounded him obscuring any view of a potential floor or walls or anything. At first it had scared him a bit, but now…

Now it was just straight-up boring. One can only stare at nothing for so long before their mind begins to wander, and Wukong really didn’t want that to happen. Especially not after…

Wukong felt the fur on the back of his neck raise as he flashed back to what happened in the cave. When the Baigujing had first appeared, he’d attempted to destroy it like he had over four millennia ago. It should’ve been easy.

But… something had changed. The Baigujing had vanished as Wukong had attempted to strike it, only to reappear right behind him. He’d attempted to leap out of the way, to fly out of its reach.

He hadn’t been fast enough. Before he could even turn his head, the White Bone spirit had flown into his chest, drenching him in ice that seemed to fill his lungs. His vision had become a haze of blue and white, blinding him while insidious little voices whispered in his ears all of his doubts and insecurities-

And then the kid had shown up. His kid had shown up. He hadn’t even noticed until the kid’s voice had cut through the whispers, sounding worried and confused.

He’d been terrified then, terrified that the White Bone spirit would take him over then and make him hurt his successor, hurt Qi Xiaotian. So he’d begged the boy to run, to warn everyone in the city to evacuate. Of course, the Baigujing hadn’t taken to kindly to that, and another surge of it’s power had sent him to his knees.

He recalled, vividly, the raw overwhelming terror on Xiaotian’s face as he’d turned to face him, recalled with painful clarity how tears had begun to form in the kid’s eyes as he pleaded with Wukong, begging him not to go. And when he had realized the fear in the kid’s eyes wasn’t because he was afraid of him, but rather for him…

Wukong grit his teeth as he remembered his final words to Xiaotian, and the feelings that had accompanied them. There was pain and fear, yes but- there was something else, something that was new to him. It had roared within him like a blazing fire, sending beams of light through his soul like a miniature sun, a sudden need to protect his kid-

Wukong was jarred from the memory at that. His what? He’d called Qi Xiaotian his- his what?

My kid, and there it was, that warm feeling in his chest that screamed at him to find Xiaotian and wrap him up in a blanket and protect- Sun Wukong blinked. When the hell had that happened? When had he become so attached? When had he stopped viewing Xiaotian as his successor, and started viewing him as his kid?

Sun Wukong thought back. These feelings… they’d been strong during their last encounter in the cave, too strong to be entirely new. But he couldn’t remember any other-

Wukong’s head shot up. The Macaque. When he’d seen Xiaotian being pinned to the mountain by his own staff, the Six-eared Macaque looming over him, he’d felt that rush of protective instinct roar within him, screeching at him to get the kid out of there, to get him to safety, to get him away from that monster-

Wukong shook at the memory, Xiaotian’s look of terror and betrayal from that day had been burned into his retinas. He hated that look, hated that the kid had been subjected to that kind of terror not just once, but twice now.

But most of all, Sun Wukong hated that both times, Xiaotian had been put in danger because of Wukong’s own shortcomings. His kid, his kid, had been put in life threatening danger, and Sun Wukong had either been almost too late, or the direct source of that danger.

And now he was stuck here in this endless void, a prisoner in his own mind, unable to protect the one person in the world that he cares about.

“Well, well, well. This is certainly new.” Wukong started, head whipping around to see-

The Baigujing’s glowing blue-white eyes stared out at him from the darkness. It took the form of a thin, pale woman in a flimsy sheer white dress, light blue markings in the appearance of bones marring otherwise smooth, uniform skin.

It looked like a corpse.

The Baigujing grinned, mouth stretching far too wide, showing off it’s rotten gums. Wukong felt ice flood his insides.

“I never took you for the fatherly type, but three thousand years is plenty of time for change. Although, I do have to wonder: why him, of all people? He’s so… immature. Easily distracted. Demanding. Sloppy. The kids… pathetic.”

Fury burned in Wukong at the words. Yes, Xiaotian was a bit immature, and he didn’t have much in the way of an attention span, but he was a good kid. He was smart even if most people didn’t notice, and he had a drive unlike any that Wukong had ever seen. And Xiaotian was far, far from pathetic.

However, the fire of rage was quickly doused by the cold realization: Baigujing knew.

It knew about Qi Xiaotian (the protective feeling started to grow in his chest).

It knew about his relationship to Qi Xiaotian (that feeling grew brighter, hotter in his lungs like a bonfire).

And it knew that hurting Qi Xiaotian would break him (the feeling was overwhelming him, consuming every other thought until the only thing that mattered was Xiaotian Xiaotian Xiaotian Xiaotian-

Sun Wukong was consumed by golden light that shattered the obsidian dark like a mirror, and the Baigujing flinched back to shield it’s eyes from the blinding light. It felt it’s will being pushed back by the Monkey King, his bright white light stinging the dark tendrils of it’s control.

For just a moment, Wukong was able to see. For a split, vital moment, he was in control.

A moment was all he needed. He knew he wouldn’t last long. Already he could feel the Baigujing starting to take back control, could feel himself slipping from his own mind. He needed to slow the Baigujing down, just enough for Xiaotian to get help.

Enough so his kid could be safe. He would not let him down this time.

Sun Wukong braced himself as he grabbed a sharp rock and raised it above his head.

He could hear the whispers of the Baigujing now, getting louder and louder-

He saw Qi Xiaotian’s face, looking up at him with a happy little smile, eyes shining with warmth and admiration in a memory long past-

Wukong slammed the stone into his knee, snapping it in two, right as he slipped back into the obsidian void.

———————————————————————

Red son restlessly paced the unfinished halls of the new lair, dark red coat silently fluttering as he did. It was a nervous habit of his, something he’d developed fairly recently, and he felt as if he might explode if he stopped.

The events of the past week were still fresh on his mind, and now played a starring role in his nightmares whenever he tried to sleep.

His father- his dear, beloved father- had attempted to kill him. His father, whom he was absolutely and unshakably loyal to, had called both him and his mother traitors. His father had called him weak. Useless. A disgrace. And even though Red son knew his father wasn’t in his right state of mind, even though he knew now that his father had been possessed…

It had begun to plant these seeds of doubt in him. After all, he’d had yet to reclaim the staff from that infernal Noodle boy, and the few victories he had were only achieved with the help of his mother or father.

He’d have yet to win a fight entirely on his own.

The thought stung, more than Red Son was willing to admit.

Then there was the actual fight. The one against the Demon Bull king. The one with Qi Xiaotian.

Qi Xiaotian. The Noodle Boy. The one who currently wielded the Monkey King’s staff. He had crashed into Red Son’s life with all of the reckless force and chaos of an out-of-control freight train, upending all of his hard work with a practiced ease. He frustrated Red Son to no end, and yet at the same time, Red son had found himself anticipating every fight against the Noodle Boy with a giddy, childish excitement.

Of course, he’d still hated him. Despised him for even thinking that he could stand up to the might of the Demon Bull family, regardless of whether or not he had the power and yes, fine, skill, to back it up. It was an insult, for a mere mortal to even consider the idea that they could even begin to compare to him, the great Red Son!

But now, everything Red Son had felt toward the loud, excitable man had been thrown into turmoil. And the worst part was that, looking back, Red Son could tell that this wasn’t just from the team up against his father. No, these complex feelings had been there, as far as Red Son knew, since the race for the immortal peaches. They had just been overshadowed by frustration and his preconceived ideas about the Monkey King’s successor. The fight a week ago had simply brought these feelings to his attention, strengthening them in the process.

Which, considering what exactly these feelings were, and who they were directed toward, was not good for Red’s already strained relationship with his parents.

Red son blushed as he remembered the fight against the Demon Bull King. He and his mother were crouched in a fighting position, his mother summoning her massive fan and Red Son already calling flames to his fingertips. His father, locked in the possession of the Baigujing, had charged at them, roaring like a wild animal…

Until Xiaotian, in true Noodle boy fashion, came careening full-speed smack-dab in the middle of the Bull King’s path, not unlike their first meeting. Red son, despite past experiences with Xiaotian literally dropping in on him and his family, had been surprised.

He’d been even more surprised when, without even thinking about it, he’d sworn to fight alongside the very person he’d been trying to kill not one week prior. He hadn’t even thought about it, hadn’t even been suspicious of Xiaotian at first. It had been a knee-jerk reaction, completely instinctual. That in itself was concerning, because his first, instinctual reaction to Noodle Boy showing up in their lair to fight his father should not be “let me help fight with you”, regardless of the circumstances. Granted, his mother had also agreed to help Xiaotian fight, but she clearly hadn’t been happy about it.

Red son, on the other hand… despite his history with Xiaotian, despite their numerous past conflicts, despite the VERY IMPORTANT FACT THAT HE AND XIAOTIAN WERE SUPPOSED TO BE FUCKING ENEMIES, Red Son had felt his heart leap at the prospect of fighting next to the monkey kid, instead of against him. And he’d found that he’d actually really enjoyed fighting with Xiaotian, made even more alarming when, hours after the fact, Red son had found himself daydreaming about fighting alongside Xiaotian again, of sparring with him on the rooftops or in the mountains, of talking about old stories and myths and shows they like… of just being together.

Of course, when Red Son finally caught himself, he’d denied absolutely everything, blaming it all on the leftover adrenaline and anticipation from the battle, telling himself that it was a one time thing, and nothing more.

That argument had been torn to fucking pieces when, that night, Red son dreamt that he and Xiaotian had become friends, sparring together on the rooftops of the city and sitting together at a small cafe, chatting leisurely over coffee and tea. They had rented out a small apartment together, in between the old lair and that little noodle shop he knew Xiaotian worked at. In his dream, they had gone to the apartment and sat on a small, gold and red couch to watch some nonsensical movie. They had talked about something that Red son couldn’t remember, when suddenly he’d found the noodle boy leaning up against him, head resting on Red’s shoulder, fast asleep. It felt so… so normal, so calm and happy and warm, it felt like home. It made his heart race, made his stomach flutter like a hummingbird’s wings, and he couldn’t help the rising joy and affection and love-

Red son had woken feeling more content than he had his entire life, and yet he still ached for more. Then he’d fully woken up, and that warm, brimming satisfaction was replaced with cold horror. This went beyond leftover adrenaline, beyond a stupid passing thought. This was real, this was serious. He liked Xiaotian, really liked him if that dream was anything to go by.

But he couldn’t possibly like the Noodle boy like that: they were enemies, constantly fighting each other, constantly at odds. There was also the very important fact that Red son despised the Noodle Boy, and the noodle boy more than likely felt the same way about him.

But even as Red son tried to argue, he knew that the first part, at least wasn’t true, and that it hadn’t been true since… since…

Red son blanched. When had he stopped despising the noodle boy? When had the fiery, burning rage softened into something less, had become simple annoyance as opposed to withering vitriol? Most importantly, when in the fresh, ever loving fuck, did the idea of living with Qi Xiaotian become more appealing, more tantalizing, than the idea of ruling the world alongside his father and mother?

It made no sense. How could he go from despising someone with every fiber of his being to… to… to whatever the fuck this was??? How could he go from wanting to from wanting to kill someone every time you saw them to wanting to live with them??? To wanting to spar with them, to wanting to go to coffee shops together, wanting to watch movies together, wanting to hold their hand and hug them and talk with them and….

Red had been so caught up in his head, so caught up in his thoughts about the Monkey kid, that he hadn’t even noticed that he had been walking to his makeshift room until he was standing at his new desk (there were already some darkened scorch marks from when he’d caught himself daydreaming about Xiaotian again, as Red had caught himself wondering what it would feel like to kiss the spiky-haired younger man. The memory still brought a harsh flush to his cheeks.), holding a small messy sketch that he’d done a couple of days ago. It was of Xiaotian, who, in the sketch, had the staff leaning against his left shoulder, one hand in the pocket of that gaudy orange hoodie, and a wide, easy smile on his face.

He’d hidden it in the small, hidden drawer on his new desk, to ensure that his mother didn’t find it. He’d been unable to bring himself to destroy it, and had taken to storing it in one of the pockets of his trench coat. He often found himself taking it out to stare at whenever he was feeling particularly stressed, or when he felt as though his parents were whispering about him behind his back, scorning him for being weak and a disappointment and-

No, Red Son growled to himself. They do not hate you. They do not think that of you, they love you, they support you, they are proud of you. But there was still that doubt, that lingering fear that the Baigiujing had planted, and for some reason, that little, shoddy, rough sketch of someone that should only serve to inflame those feelings of inadequacy was now his main source of comfort.

How strange, that his family was now the cause of his fear while his enemy was his source of comfort and warmth? But then again, Xiaotian had been turning Red son’s world on its head since that fateful day, when he’d fallen from the sky as though the Buddha himself had plucked him up by the hood of his hoodie and plopped him right into Red son’s life.

Perhaps he had. After all, Xiaotian was the Monkey King's successor, and he’d shown up at the exact moment that the Demon Bull king had been freed, and the staff along with it.

Red Son sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shoved the Xiaotian sketch into his coat pocket. Clearly, he’d been cooped up for too long.

Perhaps a nice walk through the edge of the city would do him some good. Besides, what were the chances of him running into the noodle boy there?

————————— ————————— —————————

His lungs burned as he ran, heart pounding in time with his footfalls. He couldn’t stop though, not until everyone was safe. And that meant running with everything he had, if only so he could get to the city in time to warn of the incoming threat.

Tears stung his eyes again at the thought. His mentor, his idol, had become a monster right in front of him. And the worst part, the worst part was that there was nothing that Xiaotian could’ve done to stop it. In that moment, he’d been nothing but a bystander, unable to do anything but sit by and watch as one of the most powerful beings in all of China, his mentor, was possessed by a demon.

Gods, Wukong had been so scared in that moment. Xiaotian had seen the small tremble in his paws, the way he’d recoiled from Xiaotian’s touch like a wounded animal.

And then there was the screaming. Xiaotian had gotten maybe 10 miles away from the mountain when it had started, loud and high and pained, a polyvocal screech that dipped between Wukong’s lower roars and the high raspy cries of the Baigujing. It had been close, too, no more than a few miles back, sending terror shooting through Xiaotian so hard and fast it had made him nauseous. He’d been rooted to the spot, eyes wide and hands clenched into trembling fists, tears starting back up and making his vision blur. He had stumbled back, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs that burned his lungs and made his throat tighten almost like a noose around his neck.

Wukong was hurt, and if the polyvocal quality of those screams was anything to go by, he trying to fight back for control. But eventually, Wukong’s voice had died out, submerged under the raspy, high voice of the Baigujing, and Xiaotian had to turn and run toward the city. The Baigujing was coming after all, and this time…

This time Xiaotian wasn’t sure he could win this fight.

So he’d continued to run, the constant mantra of don’t let them catch you don’t let them catch you the only thing keeping him from collapsing where he was. His mind kept playing tricks on him, too, with small wisps of translucent blue-white teasing the edge of his vision, and every dark shadow and oddly shaped log appearing like Wukong to Xiaotian’s tear-blurred eyes.

By the time he could finally see the edge of the city, Xiaotian’s nerves were raw and frayed, his lungs burning like they were on fire. There was no time to stop though. The possessed Wukong couldn’t be that far behind, and there were so many people he needed to get out…

But even as Xiaotian barreled toward the skyline, he had a realization that made his stomach drop like a stone: even if he was able to evacuate everyone in time, how in the hell was he gonna get anyone to believe him? Sure, the Gold and Silver demon brothers caused some issues every now and then, and the Demon Bull family had wrecked the city on more than one occasion, but Sun Wukong hadn’t been seen by anyone but himself for at least the last 300 years. On top of that, Sun Wukong was supposed to be one of the most powerful beings in all of China, preceded only by Guanyin and the Buddha himself. Something like the Baigujing, which had been considered a low level demon before now, should not have been able to take control of Sun Wukong so easily, or at all really.

So how, how was he going to get anyone besides Zhu Dachu, Long Xiaojiao, Tang Shifu, and Sha Wujing to believe him? And once he did that, however long it would take, how was he going to be able to evacuate the entire city before the Baigujing got here-

Xiaotian’s train of thought was abruptly derailed when he slammed into someone at full speed, bowling whoever it was over and sending Xiaotian himself skidding a good few feet in the dirt. He gasped in pain as his already bruised side slammed into the ground, no doubt aggravating the injury even more. He winced as he sat up, head spinning slightly as he did. Xiaotian lifted his hand to his forehead to assess the damage when the person he’d slammed into finally spoke.

“I ought to burn you to a crisp, you filthy peasant! Look what you did to my coat! How dare you- wait a minute. Qi Xiaot- I mean, Noodle Boy? What are you doing here?” Xiaotian froze as dread flooded him. No. No no no nononono. Why, out of everyone in the city, did I have to run into the one demon that tries to murder me on a regular basis?

Of course, out of the 20+ million people that Xiaotian could’ve bumped into, Red Son was the one person in his way.

Great.

—————- —————- ————— —————-

Of course, out of everyone that Red Son could’ve encountered, it was the damned Noodle Boy who had come barreling into him like a bat out of hell, jacket and pants torn and muddy (there was also a small red stain on his side that Red chose not to think about at that moment). The force at which the boy had slammed into him had sent Red Son flying, landing on his back with a thud and tearing up his once pristine trench coat.

That alone had incensed Red Son enough that he didn’t realize who had run into him at first. It was only when he turned to see that familiar orange hoodie, that signature bright red headband, that he had realized that it was Qi Xiaotian.

He’d been so shocked that he’d almost accidentally called him by his actual name, a slip up that he made sure to rectify quickly as possible. Couldn’t have the Noodle Boy thinking that he was important enough for the great Red Son to know his name, after all.

He watched as Xiaotian froze upon hearing his voice, and worry started to knaw at him when the usually confident and boisterous delivery boy started shaking, dread filling his eyes like tar.

It made something in his gut clench, seeing that look on Xiaotian. It reminded Red of war refugees, with their wide eyes that weren’t seeing anything that was truly there, lost in a world ravaged first by fire, then machine gun fire, then missiles. It was a look that spoke of horrific, monstrous things, things that would take even the most resilient of men and empty them until they were nothing more than husks, their spirits broken by the relentless waves of death and destruction.

It was a look that Xiaotian never should’ve had to wear, but here he was now, right in front of Red Son, beaten up and covered in dirt and bruises and cuts that he did not know the origins of.

Red Son was shaken from his musings when the Noodle Boy had jumped up, one hand reaching back for the staff and the other hand reaching out flat in front of him. He had already started to back away, and Red Son was struck again by just how haggard the usually energic boy looked then.

“Listen Red Son. I’m not here to fight right now, ok? I know you probably couldn’t care less, but there’s a very powerful demon coming at the city right now, and I don’t know if I’m gonna have enough time to evacuate everyone as is, so if you could please just-“

“What do mean, ‘a powerful demon’? Shouldn’t you be able to handle it, what with having all of Wukong’s powers and whatnot?” At that, an almost pained look flitted across Noodle Boy’s face, and the hand that had been going for the staff suddenly went to his side.

“That’s…. that’s the- the problem.” Dread turned to alarm at that. What the hell did that mean? Surely there wasn’t a demon powerful enough to take down Sun Wukong in their own, right? Not even his whole family could claim that, and they were one of the most powerful demon families around.

“It’s… the Baigujing, it…. it escaped to- to Flower Fruit Mountain.” Red Son’s stomach dropped like a stone. Shit. Shit. His father had been a tough fight under the influence of the White Bone Spirit, and had it not been for Xiaotian’s arrival, there was a very good chance he and his mother would not be alive today. If the Baigujing had possessed Sun Wukong….

“When I… when I got there this morning for- to train, with, with Wukong, it was already…. it was….” Xiaotian was shaking now, and Red Son hated just how much he understood the pain in Xiaotian’s eyes. After all, hadn’t he been in the Noodle Boy’s exact position not even two weeks ago? Hadn’t he known the terror, the betrayal, of seeing the person he looked up to more than anyone else on the planet turned against him, becoming a monster under the influence of some monstrous demon?

Hadn’t he watched as his father, his loving, caring father, for whom he had dedicated his life toward, came rushing at him with the full intent to kill?

If Xiaotian hadn’t shown up then, Red would be dead. As much as he hated to admit it (his heart jumped in spite of himself), he owed the Noodle Boy. He owed him so, so much, more than he would likely ever know.

Sun Wukong had been possessed by the Baigujing. Xiaotian had, more likely than not, seen it happen. Sun Wukong, possessed by the Baigujing, was most likely heading toward the city with the intent to level everything within a 10-mile radius, and then some. If they wanted to limit casualties, then they either needed to evacuate everyone…

Or, Xiaotian would have to face Wukong outside of the city. On his own. Where he would most likely die, scared and confused, murdered by his idol.

Absolutely not.

Before Red Son could reconsider, before he could even begin to think about the implications of what he was about to do, Red Son held his hand out to Qi Xiaotian. Determination burned in him, chasing away the icy tendrils of dread and replacing them with the barest glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, he could do something good for once. Maybe he could fix his mistakes, become better than what he was

Maybe he could become someone worth loving.

And it was with that final thought that Red Son reached out to his enemy-turned-rival-turned-something else, one hand gripping the small sketch still in his pocket, and said

“Let me help.”

#monkie kid #qi xiaotian #MK #sun wukong #monkey king #the baigujing #Bluekong au #sun Wukong gets possessed by the white bone spirit au #Red Son #spicynoodleshipping #angst #long post #I couldn’t figure out how to link posts so I did this instead #at least you guys don’t have to search through the monkie kid tag on my blog anymore right?#also chapter 4 will come out eventually #I just finally hit writer’s block I guess #so here’s this for now #also cover art!!#yes I did it myself #i had to struggle with adobe fresco being a little shit #but I figured it out #so you get some finished cover art too!#hooray!#but you also get a metric buttload of angst #everyone’s gonna need therapy after this #everyone #especially Xiaotian #and Wukong #I have this whole thing mapped out in my head I just need to figure out the dialogue #and you know

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dreamersmemes · 3 years

Text

jessie reyez ‘before love came to kill us’ sentences

feel free to change pronouns & things ! DO YOU LOVE HER

‘ i should’ve fucked your friends ’ ‘ it would’ve been the best revenge ’ ‘ i’m trying to heal but it’s a process ’ ‘ there’s a stranger where my heart is ’ ‘ i’m sick with feeling like i deserved better ’ ‘ you’re sick for everything you did to me ’ ‘ it was a setup ’ ‘ if i blow your brains out, i could guarantee that you’ll forget her ’ ‘ i could kiss it better ’ ‘ kiss me ’ ‘ i’m the monster that you made ’ ‘ kiss me, i’m the monster that you made ’ ‘ you made me ’ ‘ now i’m just like you ’ ‘ don’t complain ’ ‘ i do the things you like hoping you’d stay ’ ‘ you don’t want me unless i’m someone else’s ’ ‘ you don’t even know you’re being selfish ’ ‘ that’s when you get off and you can’t help it ’ ‘ all your bullets, they feel like velvet ’ ‘ i let you do it ’ ‘ i loved you too much ’ ‘ your dead to me ’

DEAF ( who are you )

‘ what the fuck’s a day off? ’ ‘ i don’t love ya ’ ‘ go get your bitch ’ ‘ she’s all on my dick ’ ‘ i am the one that got you in love ’ ‘ i heard you got a lot to say ’ ‘ i ain’t a killer, i’ll let you breathe ’ ‘ oh, now you don’t recognise my face? ’ ‘ i never listen ’ ‘ who are you? ’ ‘ if i’m sipping jameson, i don’t answer ’ ‘ i’m taking everything i came for ’ ‘ i ain’t fucking asking ’ ‘ who are you, bitch? ’

INTRUDERS

‘ this is mine from now on ’ ‘ when i see intruders, i load up my weapons ’ ‘ you’re beautiful ’ ‘ i see them stare ’ ‘ you belong to me ’ ‘ i’d kill all intruders ’ ‘ my love is ruthless ’ ‘ you are my kingdom ’ ' heads on a stake of people that failed ’ ‘ don’t you come in ’ ‘ this is my land ’ ‘ please, no intruders ’

COFFIN

‘ we fought until the sun rose ’ ‘ i still ain’t been to bed ’ ‘ the devil wakes up in my head ’ ‘ he told me that you hate me and you blame me ’ ‘ you hate me and you blame me ’ ‘ you said that you wish that you were dead ’ ‘ you make me wanna jump off a roof ’ ‘ i love you to death ’ ‘ i love you to death, just like a fool ’ ‘ i walk up to the edge and say a prayer before i let go ’ ‘ you get there just in time to save me and apologise ’ ‘ maybe we can go back to bed ’ ‘ i had to watch you jump off the roof ’ ‘ maybe buddha’s got it right? we reincarnate every time ’ ‘ i’ll find you in another life ’ ‘ i don’t really wanna fight ’ ‘ i just wanna spend the night ’ ‘ hit me in the eye, bit me on the thigh, then began to cry ’ ‘ i’m at the end of my wits. let’s end this ’ ‘ pledge your loyalty, treat me like a king ’ ‘ no matter how mad i get, i’m mad about you ’ ‘ i know we’ve had our challenges, still i keep trying to salvage it ’ ‘ bet you think i’m fucking around on you ’ ‘ it never changes, i doubt if it will ’ ‘ cheat on me then say “how does it feel?” ‘ ‘ how could you? ’ ‘ i almost had a child with you ’ ‘ i’ll put you in the ground ’ ‘ you’re just trying to pull me down with you ’ ‘ if you jump, i’m jumping with you ’ ‘ neither one of us having nothing to lose but each other ’

ANKLES

‘ we fight just to fuck just to fight again ’ ‘ i never thought you’d leave me ’ ‘ i doubt you’ll ever find anyone ’ ‘ these bitches can’t measure up ’ ‘ you apologise, but your twitter says ‘no regrets’ ’ ‘ i’d kill for a mute button in my head ’ ‘ i’m tired of pretending like i was the guilty one ’ ‘ you’re shallow ’ ‘ why’s it always me that’s gotta feel bad? ’ ‘ you left me in a heartbeat ’ ‘ it will never go back to the way it was ’ ‘ she’s not on my level, you could’ve done better ’ ‘ you make me sick ’ ‘ i’m back on my shit ’ ‘ she doesn’t ride like i used to ride it ’ ‘ i doubt you’ll find anyone to measure up to me ’

IMPORTED

‘ my bank account is looking mighty fine ’ ‘ we can skip the wine and dine, go straight to the wind and grind ’ ‘ wanna cum? i can make it happen ’ ‘ you can be my biggest secret ’ ‘ you’re gonna have to leave him ’ ‘ you’re in love with somebody else ’ ‘ maybe i could offer some help? ’ ‘ get over them by getting under me ’ ‘ you might o.d if you get too much of me ’ ‘ my name is not important ’ ‘ i’m not from here ’ ‘ i drink liquor like it’s water ’ ‘ what happened here ain’t nothing sacred ’ ‘ that got me fucked up ’ ‘ i know that dude just saw me naked ’ ‘ fake it ‘til you make it ’

SAME SIDE

‘ how come i can’t leave you? ’ ‘ i feel like i am tied down to someone who’s making me cry more than making me smile ’ ‘ i don’t want you. i hate you, i think. but i don’t wanna be alone either ’ ‘ you’re such an asshole, but i see a prince ’ ‘ i’m a good girl, but you see a bitch ’ ‘ i wanna make love, you wanna burn a bridge ’ ‘ i wish i was a bad guy ’ ‘ we could be fighting on the same side ’ ‘ you said you would be out of my life ’ ‘ you used to be paradise ’ ‘ you used to be where i would go to hide from people who treat me how you treated me ’ ‘ i don’t believe you ’ ‘ sorry i’m not your ex ’ ‘ i’m sorry i’m lacking self-respect ’ ‘ should’ve left you when you started hopping beds ’ ‘ i’m sorry, i swear that i tried my best ’ ‘ can’t you be sorry instead? ’

ROOF

‘ it be skinny dudes packing those anacondas ’ ‘ i’m a fucking monster ’ ‘ everything i do hits the roof ’ ‘ i got nothing to lose ’ ‘ you lucky i don’t want your man ’ ‘ never really ever had a high like this ’

DOPE

‘ tell me do you need a teacher? ’ ‘ i know i got what you need ’ ‘ i know what you like ’ ‘ that shit dope ’ ‘ come here hot boy ’ ‘ it’s only bad if you get caught ’ ‘ pull that trigger ’ ‘ put that drink down ’

BEFORE LOVE CAME TO KILL US

‘ i love you in the worst way ’ ‘ you knock me down like a heavyweight ’ ‘ we fell in love ’ ‘ nobody gets out of love alive ’ ‘ we either break up or we say goodbye when we die ’ ‘ for a moment at least, i know you were mine ’ ‘ winter comes and roses don’t survive ’ ‘ it’s getting late and i should go ’ ‘ i wanna hold you ’ ‘ we’re not supposed to but i can’t learn my lesson ’ ‘ i miss when you were my best friend ’ ‘ i think about you everyday ’ ‘ life’s good and i’m getting paid ’ ‘ when i miss you i medicate ’

LOVE IN THE DARK

‘ we’re only humans, floating on a rock ’ ‘ i think you are made of stardust ’ ‘ you put up with so much ’ ‘ the sweetest goodbyes are never with smiles at all ’ ‘ our lives are running out ’ ‘ i’ll be there to pull you back up ’ ‘ i’m nothing without you ’ ‘ i won’t leave you alone ’ ‘ there’s love in the dark ’ ‘ i’d do anything to relive our memories ’ ‘ i thank god for everything that you showed me ’

I DO

‘ we let this castle fall down, what a tragedy ’ ‘ do i still live in your head? ’ ‘ do you still live with regrets? ’ ‘ because i do ’ ‘ i do ’ ‘ do you got something on your chest? ’ ‘ do you wish we weren’t finished yet? ’ ‘ come bring me all your sins ’ ‘ put a band-aid on the scars ’ ‘ would you give me your heart again? ’ ‘ if i could just see you. we don’t even have to talk ’ ‘ i’ll take an argument ’ ‘ all i want is a familiar face ’ ‘ i’d much rather hurt from familiar pain ’

FIGURES

‘ i gave you ride or die and you gave me games ’ ‘ i’m crying ‘cause you just won’t change ’ ‘ i gave it all and you gave me shit ’ ‘ i wish i could hurt you back ’ ‘ what would you do if you couldn’t get me back? ’ ‘ you’re the one who’s gonna lose something so special ’ ‘ tell me boy how in the fuck would you feel? ’ ‘ i’m the bad guy because i can’t learn to trust ’ ‘ you say sorry once and you think it’s enough ’ ‘ i got a lineup of girls and a lineup of guys begging for me just to give them a try ’ ‘ i’m willing to stay because i’m sick for your love ’

FAR AWAY II

‘ i think you’re the love of my life ’ ‘ i feel like i need you tonight beside me ’ ‘ i feel what you feel when you’re far away ’ ‘ i ran out of heart, don’t got feelings ’ ‘ you left your panties and bra right under my pillow ’ ‘ you gonna stay on me until i’m finished ’ ‘ your body won’t say stop ’ ‘ you feel it in your soul ’ ‘ i fuck with your vibe ’ ‘ i never meant to do you dirty or make you cry ’ ‘ you’re just my type ’ ‘ like the love of my life ’ ‘ i care about you so much it’s kinda scary ’ ‘ I’m happy that it’s happening ’ ‘ i just miss you ’

WORTH SAVING

‘ you’re trying to leave while you can ’ ‘ i might be worth saving ’ ‘ when you come back i might not be here waiting ’ ‘ didn’t you say that your mama liked me? ’ ‘ there ain’t gonna be one like me ’ ‘ don’t let me go too easy ’ ‘ i’m not the easiest ’ ‘ to be real i don’t blame you for leaving me ’ ‘ all my friends, they hate your guts ’ ‘ i’m here defending all you’ve done ’ ‘ i’m not the easiest, don’t even blame your dumbass for leaving me ’

SUGAR AT NIGHT

‘ i could blame your parents, but you’re grown now ’ ‘ a couple vodka’s and you lose all control ’ ‘ if it ain’t about you, you just peace and zone out ’ ‘ it’s such a joke to hope that you could just be normal ’ ‘ you’ll never make me a bride ’ ‘ you just give me fight scenes ’ ‘ you always take away my smile ’ ‘ you always fuck up my dreams ’ ‘ sometimes i wish that you’d never entered my life ’ ‘ you had a wild light ’ ‘ embarrassed when i had to call you my guy ’ ‘ you stole my good years ’ ‘ i could’ve dodged your cheating and some bad scars ’

NO ONE’S IN THE ROOM

‘ i’d go to church every sunday ’ ‘ teenage love still took my virgin skin ’ ‘ after my first time i cried ’ ‘ after my first time i cried because i thought heaven wouldn’t let me in ’ ‘ the priest has got a boyfriend ’ ‘ the teachers smoke weed after school ’ ‘ when you’re young they try to keep you in cages ’ ‘ most of them don’t follow their own rules ’ ‘ i need to talk to god there’s just some things that i don’t understand ’ ‘ who am i when no one’s in the room? ’ ‘ does the voice in my head that talks me off a ledge belong to me? ’ ‘ vices only pacify for the moment ’ ‘ vices that they made to hold our pain ’ ‘ spend your whole life being graded ’ ‘ you’re not enough ’

#ask meme #inbox meme #jessie reyez #lyric meme #rpc #sentence meme #*

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bloggerthannothing · 3 years

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Jesus Christ Superstar is Very Good

[I'm familiar with the 1973 film version, so that's what I'm talking about here. This may or may not apply to other renditions.]

Jesus Christ Superstar is an...interesting rock opera interpretation of the gospel narrative.

If I had to describe it with one word, it would be "juxtaposition". Ancient Roman guards wielding AK-47s coexist with afro-hippies living in adobe huts. King Herod sings a whimsical falsetto tune just minutes before the thirty-nine lashings of Christ are counted off in an agonized voice by a guilt-ridden Pontius Pilate. 'Tonal whiplash' is perhaps putting it a bit lightly.

But somehow, it works. The anachronisms give it a sort of magical realism which suits its timeless theme. That theme is "idealism versus pragmatism", or perhaps "kindness versus effectiveness."

The opera opens with a song by Judas, of all people. Judas is depicted here not as a greedy turncoat, but as someone who cares deeply about Jesus, Jesus' ideals, and the welfare of others.

Listen, Jesus, I don't like what I see

All I ask is that you listen to me

And remember

I've been your right hand man all along

…

And believe me

My admiration for you hasn't died

But every word you say today

Gets twisted 'round some other way

And they'll hurt you if they think you've lied

…

I am frightened by the crowd

For we are getting much too loud

And they'll crush us if we go too far

…

Listen, Jesus, to the warning I give

Please remember that I want us to live

He points out that money spent on expensive perfumes for Jesus could have been used to feed the poor (a topic close to my own heart). We have every reason to believe what he says - that he only wants what is best for Jesus and the occupied Jews.

But his desire for the movement to succeed pragmatically, for Jesus and the apostles (and himself) to stay 'safe' leads him to be cold, uncaring, and of course, a murderer.

While he obviously cares for Jesus, it's undeniable that there's resentment and even anger in his dialogue (performed amazingly well by Carl Anderson here. Seriously, listen to it, it's incredible).

Nazareth, your famous son

Should have stayed a great unknown

Like his father carving wood

He'd have made good

Tables, chairs, and oaken chests

Would have suited Jesus best

He'd have caused nobody harm, no one alarm

He is overly concerned with how Jesus appears to others, urging Jesus to associate less with prostitutes for the sake of his public image. He prioritizes looking good over actually being good.

At best, he could be said to "indulge" Jesus' claims about being the son of God, and at worst he's outright skeptical of them.

I remember when this whole thing began

No talk of God then, we called you a man

Judas is characterized so heavily because the film revolves around the ideological conflict between him and Jesus. While Judas is pragmatic to the point of being cold and cruel, Jesus is idealistic and trusting to a fault. He refuses to explain himself to others or take any measures to ensure others understand what he means.

So why would the viewer like or sympathize with Jesus? Because he is shown, not as a divine chessmaster who knows everything, but as an honest and conflicted servant to a higher being he doesn't understand. When a crowd asks him to die for them, we see the fear in his eyes.

At the garden of Gethsemane, he has a gut-wrenching solo performance where he desperately begs God to let him live, or at least explain why he has to die (another amazing performance, this time by Ted Neeley).

Why, why should I die?

Why should I die?

Can you show me now that I would not be killed in vain?

Show me just a little of your omnipresent brain

Show me there's a reason for your wanting me to die

You're far too keen on 'where' and 'how' but not so hot on 'why'

And that is why Jesus' struggle here is emotional and moving, maybe even more than the canonical Christian Jesus!

The canonical Christian Jesus knew that he was the Son of God, knew that he had to die to redeem mankind's sins, and knew that he would live forever in Heaven after his Passion [1]. He experiences fear and pain, of course, but the guaranteed eternal paradise and his direct line to God the Father give him a kind of solace that no other mortal has ever had access to.

Superstar Jesus Christ? He's plagued by uncertainty, unsure of what his greater role is in God's plan. He is privy to no private information and has no guarantees whatsoever. For all he knows, he'll suffer and die for nothing, leaving his people to be dispersed and oppressed long after he's gone.

Just like with Judas, we have a character with a truly human blend of mixed emotions. Devotion and faith to God, fear of pain and suffering and failure, and a desperate desire to know why God won't tell him any more, and perhaps even some spite toward that same God he trusts so much:

Alright, I'll die!

Just watch me die!

See how, see how I die!

Oh, just watch me die

…

Why, then, am I scared to finish

What I started?

What you started!

I didn't start it!

His doubt has him end his prayer in Gethsemane with the tragicomic line:

Bleed me, beat me, kill me, take me now

Before I change my mind!

II.

I know that "idealism versus pragmatism" isn't the deepest or most complex theme in the world, but it's portrayed beautifully here. Two people who ultimately want the same thing, who should be the closest companions, are forced against each other by different beliefs about how to achieve their goals under an oppressive regime that hates both of them.

It's a story that avoids easy black and white morality, despite the fact that one of the characters is literally Jesus! The fairness with which it portrays the different "ideologies" makes it popular even among atheists (according to my surveys of Youtube comment sections).

This entire philosophical conflict comes to a head in Superstar, sung by the ghost of Judas and an angelic choir to Jesus right just he is crucified.

Why'd you choose such a backward time and such a strange land?

If you'd come today, you would have reached a whole nation

Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication

...

Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ

Who are you? What have you sacrificed?

Jesus Christ, Superstar

Do you think you're what they say you are?

…

Tell me what you think about your friends at the top

Now who'd you think, besides yourself, was the pick of the crop?

Buddha, was he where it's at? Is he where you are?

Could Mohamed move a mountain, or was that just PR?

The premise of this song is unique and emotional. Someone who believes in Jesus, and trusts him, wondering how this could possibly be part of a reasonable plan? Wondering why God would send his son to die, and then spend 2000 years doing not much at all? Wondering why there are other religions, with messiah figures who seem just as confident and spiritual and humble as Jesus, while being mutually contradictory with what Jesus preached?

This entire perspective, well...I empathize with it!

I used to be Christian, and these are the exact kind of questions I struggled with. Through Judas' character, this opera is willing to bring up the hard questions you have to answer when you're a modern, critical, utilitarian-minded Christian.

But it's not a shallow gotcha, trying to expose how dumb Christianity and Jesus are. Both Judas and Jesus are flawed, emotional, deeply sympathetic characters who have remarkably similar tragic fates. One takes his own life from guilt, and one lets his own life be taken from him through inaction and silence.

And remember: this is the same musical with the hippies and the AK-47 Roman guards and the falsetto King Herod song! The light-hearted aesthetics lure you into a genuinely moving story about the hard choices you face when trying to be a force for good in a complicated, deeply imperfect world.

And did I mention that it has some banger songs? Hosanna, Damned for All Time, and the Last Supper are all great songs in their own right.

What I'm trying to say is - Jesus Christ Superstar is very good.

[1] Okay, that's Catholicism, probably some other branches of Christianity believe slightly different things. But the basic point still stands.

#media #very good #jesus christ superstar #effortpost

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sketching-shark · 3 years

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Monkie kid fandom: o well macaques a morally grey character he’s got a traumatic past and Sun Wukongs so mean and evil for leaving him

Reality: Macaque is literally ment to the representative of Sun Wukongs EVIL side and having a “traumatic past” doesn’t justify literally trying to kill people who had nothing to do with it he also traumatised Mk because he can and because he’s connected to Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong choose to change his ways macaque just decided “you no what am going to kill this monk because he’s connected to somebody who left me.” I don’t understand how people try so hard to Villainise Sun Wukong when’s he’s literally ment to be one of the first ever superheroes.

Haha oh geez that is how it often feels.

Like at this point there does seem to be something of an effort to make Sun Wukong look bad in order to absolve Macaque of a lot of wrong-doing...But as you mentioned, besides it being the case that the Six-Eared Macaque was originally made to function as a representative and/or living embodiment of Sun Wukong's anger and violent tendencies (hence why Sun Wukong's a lot less prone to sudden acts of violence after he kills the six-eared simian in JTTW), given all the murder attempts and manipulation and literal acts of kidnapping/brainwashing/mind control he's committed in the lego monkey show, personally I feel like the dude is pretty much as viciously jealous & as willing to throw people under the bus to achieve his aims as he is in Journey to the West.

Like I know that Monkie Kid diverges from JTTW in a number of ways (a big change being that Sun Wukong had beat up a lot of demons instead of smashing them into meat patties lol), but one of the things that does feel like it's being lost in translation, as it were, is that the Six Ear Macaque was a villain not just because he beat up the Tang Monk, but because he wanted to take over Sun Wukong's entire life and identity so he could have all that glory and prestige for himself. To quote the macaque himself from the Anthony C. Yu translation, "I struck the T'ang monk and I took the luggage...precisely because I want to go to the West all by myself to ask Buddha for the scriptures. When I deliver them to the Land of the East, it will be my success and no one else's. Those people of the South Jambudvipa Continent will honor me then as their patriarch and my fame will last for all posterity." And in order to do this, the Six Eared Macaque had apparently made Sun Wukong's "little ones," his monkey family, his captives through either trickery or force, and gotten a number of them to take on the appearance of Tang Sanzang and the other pilgrims. It's also made clear that in direct contrast to Sun Wukong he doesn't care about these monkeys beyond how they might serve him, given that after Sha Wujing kills the monkey posing as him the Six Eared Macaque not only all but immediately replaces him with another, but also "told his little ones to have the dead monkey skinned. Then his meat was taken to be fried and served as food along with coconut and grape wines." So this monkey is not only willing to risk the lives of a lot of other monkeys for his own benefit, but is also a literal cannibal.

In Monkie Kid (at least according to Macaque, who is an unreliable narrator at best), he had been best of friends with Sun Wukong before Sun Wukong presumably went off to live in Heaven & abandoned all of his friends on Earth. And it is true that in Journey to the West, Sun Wukong had spent over a century of earthly years in heaven just enjoying himself before he gets into trouble by ruining the Immortal Peach Banquet and heading back down to his yaoguai kingdom. So in that regard, Macaque does have justification to hate Sun Wukong for having brought heaven's army to their mountain (of course you could say that starting a war over one banquet is a bit of an overreaction but that's a conversation for another day). What this does omit, however, is that the main reason Sun Wukong went to heaven in the first place is to see if he could get all of his monkeys to live up there, that he had spent centuries fortifying Flower Fruit Mountain from any and all threats beforehand, and that he brings back a bounty of immortality-granting wine, which all the monkeys eagerly drink. And perhaps most importantly, in the following war with heaven itself all of the assembled yaoguai were behind Sun Wukong 100%. He had already done so much for them, and they had already heard about how their great king was made to serve as a stable hand in heaven, and so got some sense of how little the heavens thought of them. This isn't to say that the Six Eared Macaque doesn't have reason to be mad at Sun Wukong or that the Monkey King doesn't share a lot of the blame for the events that led to the burning of Flower Fruit Mountain, but rather to say that all the assembled yaoguai weren't dragged into this war kicking and screaming. They seem to have regarded it as much as a power struggle with great potential rewards and which they could win as much as Sun Wukong did.

But going back to this version of the Six Eared Macaque, I find him interesting because I read him not as morally grey but rather as this frightening, somewhat tragic figure who's jealously of and resentment against Sun Wukong seems to have festered and grown to the point where it's become the sole defining feature of his life; like he's just gone from wanting to literally be Sun Wukong to wanting revenge against the Monkey King, and in all his centuries of living he hasn't allowed anything else to shape his life. After 500 years of apparently not really doing anything, after Sun Wukong made a reappearance Macaque just seem to be targeting anyone and anything that he thinks will let him hurt Sun Wukong, no matter the cost to others or to himself. It's like he was put into the role of Sun Wukong's doppelganger/shadow/evil clone, and he's now hellbent on staying in that position, no matter how much it hurts him or holds him back from cultivating his own individuality or his own story because that's the only way he feels he gain back his past power and/or stay connected to the Monkey King. There is something really tragic about a character who feels so damaged by and/or is so obsessed with the past that they stay in this stagnant position where they never even attempt to try something different from their destructive and self-damaging behavior, but that's precisely what makes Macaque a good villain as well. Besides being a clever and calculating villain, he never developed a sense of morality like Sun Wukong, he still treats everyone around him like tools, and his self-righteousness gives him "permission" to be a relentless monster to MK, all of MK's loved ones, and Sun Wukong himself. I know it's pretty common in media these days to start a villain down the path of redemption & into the bosom of team good guy by having them be hurt by an even worse villain, but personally I would love to see a story arc where Macaque actually has a realization of how horrible his behavior has been and to feel genuine remorse for it (maybe brought about by the violence he's likely suffering at the hands of the Lady Bone Demon, in a kind of "hey being manipulated and hurt for the benefit of others actually sucks oh no I can't believe I thought it was okay when I did it"), but then also has to face the consequence of his former student and former best friend (actually likely the entire monkie crew given the whole kidnapping/brainwashing/mind-controlling thing) never wanting anything to do with him again & cutting him out of their lives completely. I think he could still change for the better under such a scenario, but the seriousness of his bad actions shouldn't be swept under the rug.

In conclusion, I think a "redemption without forgiveness" story line could work really well for Monkie Kid's version of the Six-Eared Macaque in a kind of "you can't just do horrible things and then cry about your past like that somehow makes it okay" way, and smh at the Monkie Kid fandom for all the work put into giving Sun Wukong and only Sun Wukong flak for his and Macaque's fight.

Like if you have to demonize the Monkey King, at least go after him for having been a warlord.

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #lmk #lmk sun wukong #lmk monkey king #lmk macaque #lmk mk #lmk six eared macaque #six eared macaque #anon submission #qi xiaotian

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